WORLDWIDE: Speedkits

7th Framework Programme Grant Agreement no 284931, signed by the Research Executive Agency (REA), acting under powers delegated by the European Commission

SCOPE

Material and technical innovations as well as novel concepts for emergency aid, shelters, water and sanitation, energy-generation, medical facilities, modular packaging, rapid deployment transport and tracking.Development of various ‘ kits’ that can be pre-positioned and mobilized very quickly and easily, that are modular and adaptable, low cost, high-tech in their conception but low-tech in use.

DURATION

48 months, March 2012 to March 2016

ROLES OF IFRC-SRU

Leader of Work-package2, ‘shelter’:

Quality Manager:

Member of the Project Steering Committee:

Member of the General Assembly:

WORKPACKAGE 2 ‘SHELTER’

The main objective of this WP is to design and make blue prints of a series of novel modular shelters for different purposes based on a set of criterias. In this WP the designs for four types of sheltering systems are:

Type 01 – Clever Roof

The main function of this kit is to provide cover against heat and rain in the very first few hours for a minimum of 5 people. No walls are needed at this stage, hence the term ‘clever roof’. This roof should be able to connect to every other shelter type which is sent to the affected site in a later stage, when the humanitarian organizations send a kit consisting of tarpaulins (“plastic sheeting”) for these first needs but that offers limited use. The specificity of this solution is to be compatible with the items already available in the Emergency Items Catalogue, such as the plastic sheet, to allow beneficiaries to clad their light structure.

Type 02 – Multipurpose Unit

This shelter aims to provide a solution able to respond to various needs in different phases of the emergency. It will offer enough floor space to host a classroom of 40 students or a hospital ward for 8 patients, including medical staff. It should be possible to remove, replace or re-use the shelter. The Multipurpose Unit aims to be the updated version of the 45 m2 multipurpose shelter currently used (by IFRC and MSF): smaller footprint (i.e. no outside guy ropes) and improved modularity, adaptability and interconnect ability with the clever roof to provide additional external covered space.The multipurpose unit will provide all the components necessary to build up the tent and make it ready for use: the frame to build the unit, textile layers for cladding, internal partitions, shade net, pegs and tools for the assembling phase.Its dimensions are 6 m x 8 m (corresponding to 2 times the tarp of Type 01).

Type 03 – SmartTARP for transitional shelter

The multi-adaptable SmartTARP concept (patent pending) is developed under the Speedkits project. It consists of a 3D textile structure that can be filled with local materials (e.g. for stability or thermal insulation) thanks to its layout in cells. This structural element is composed of coated textiles (i.e. long lifetime) and will be delivered on a roll (‘wall by the mile’). In the emergency field, affected people can directly cut the size that is needed and build up a structure by filling the formwork with locally available materials (a few poles for stabilization, sand, straw or plastic waste for the filling process). In parallel a foam concept is under study and investigation will be done on origami principle to improve packaging.

The aim of providing the SmartTARP is to give the affected people an enabling material that will stimulate them to rebuild their homes, following local habit/culture and using local materials. This people-centred approach has the advantage of incorporating residents into the process of reconstruction and tries to circumvent the stunning fact that

Type 04 – Mobile Modular Unit

The goal is to develop a generic and modular design for an optimized warehouse shelter for all locations and climate conditions. The structure should also be suitable for other uses (e.g. a hospital ward). Special focus was put on the ease and speed of assembly, using standardized components, whilst minimizing weight and volume of parts to reduce transport size and difficulties. All these requirements ensure it to be really mobile. This resulted in the so-called folding ladder principle, which offers simplicity and ease of erection combined with stability.

Analysis of state of the art of shelter types has shown that medium size shelter types, with spans between 6 m and 10 m and floor space between 84 m2 and 240 m2 are currently not available. It was decided to fill the dimensional gap of available shelter systems and to provide a modularly extendible system of 8 m span